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More Americans see middle class status slipping
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sense of belonging to the middle class occupies a cherished place in America. It conjures images of self-sufficient people with stable jobs and pleasant homes working toward prosperity.
Yet nearly five years after the Great Recession ended, more people are coming to the painful realization that they're no longer part of it. Former professionals are stocking shelves at grocery stores and retirees are struggling with rising costs.
Since 2008, the number of people who call themselves middle class has fallen by nearly a fifth, according to a survey in January by the Pew Research Center, from 53 per cent to 44 per cent. Forty per cent now identify as either lower-middle or lower class compared with just 25 per cent in February 2008.
Lawmakers accuse GM of possible criminal coverup
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers accused General Motors of a potentially criminal coverup of its defective ignition switches and fumed at the lack of answers from its new CEO during a second day of hearings Wednesday into why the automaker waited a decade to recall cars with a deadly flaw.
The Senate subcommittee said GM should tell owners of the 2.6 million recalled cars to stop driving them until they are repaired. CEO Mary Barra gave assurances that the cars are safe to use while owners wait for the replacement part, saying she would let her son drive one if he took certain precautions.
GM has linked the switch to 13 deaths and dozens of accidents, while others have a higher count.
EU, US vow to help wean Ukraine off Russian gas
BRUSSELS (AP) — The United States and European Union on Wednesday sought ways to reduce the political clout Russia gets from its vast energy reserves by promising to wean Ukraine and the rest of the continent off those supplies.
In the wake of Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Europe's dependency on Russian energy became a political liability as it undermined its ability to stand up to Moscow. Cutting those supplies could cripple the fragile economies of Ukraine and Europe.
Kerry said the U.S. and EU will seek to provide Ukraine gas through Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
Survey: US companies add 191K jobs in March
WASHINGTON (AP) — A private survey shows that U.S. companies increased hiring at a healthy pace last month, suggesting that the jobs market is recovering from a brutal winter.
Payroll processer ADP says private employers added 191,000 jobs in March. Hiring was healthy across most industries and businesses of different sizes.
The numbers suggest that the government's jobs report for March, to be released Friday, will show stronger hiring.
The ADP numbers cover only private businesses and often diverge from the government's more comprehensive report.
Savings and loan figure Charles Keating dies at 90
PHOENIX (AP) — Charles H. Keating Jr., the financier who served prison time and was disgraced for his role in the costliest savings and loan failure of the 1980s, has died. He was 90.
A person with direct knowledge of the death confirmed on Tuesday that Keating had died. The person wasn't authorized to release the information and spoke on condition of anonymity.
When Keating's Phoenix-based home construction company, American Continental Corp., bought Lincoln Savings & Loan in 1984, the multimillionaire elevated its worth from $1.1 billion to $5.5 billion in a four-year period. But his financial empire crumbled with convictions for defrauding investors.
Keating allegedly bilked Lincoln customers by selling them $200 million of unsecured "junk" bonds. They became worthless when Keating's company became bankrupt.
FDA OKs 1st hay fever allergy immunotherapy tablet
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first tablet for gradually reducing hay fever allergy symptoms, an alternative to uncomfortable allergy-desensitizing shots.
Oralair, a tablet that dissolves under the tongue, is approved for patients aged 10 through 65. It's to be taken daily starting four months before grass pollen season to reduce allergic reactions to five grass types.
In patient testing, it reduced symptoms and need for medications by up to 30 per cent, compared with dummy pills.
Oralair is made by France's Stallergenes SA.
Chrysler recalling 870,000 SUVs for brake defect
DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler is recalling nearly 870,000 SUVs because corrosion may make the vehicles' brakes harder to use.
Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs from the 2011 through 2014 model years are involved.
Chrysler says crimp joints in the brake boosters can corrode if they're exposed to water. If the water freezes, the boosters won't aid braking as they usually do.
The company knows of one accident, but no injuries, due to the defect.
Dealers will install a shield to protect the boosters for free and replace boosters that aren't working properly.
Global growth drives Monsanto's 2Q higher
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Monsanto's second-quarter earnings jumped 13 per cent on strength from its core seeds and traits business.
The agriculture products company earned $1.67 billion, or $3.15 per share, 7 cents better than what analysts polled by FactSet had projected. A year ago, the company earned $1.48 billion, or $2.73 per share.
Revenue climbed 7 per cent to $5.83 billion, just edging out Wall Street projections.
The performance was particularly strong, given the slow start to a quarter in which winter storms delayed shipments.
Amazon unveils Fire TV set top streaming device
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon wants to make its way into living rooms with Amazon Fire TV, a new set-top box that allows streaming of online video, music and other content to televisions.
The company says the $99 device has better speed, performance and search functions than other options such as Apple TV and Google Chromecast. But Amazon is coming late to the game, and it remains to be seen whether the company is offering enough of an advantage to lure customers away from their current streaming methods.
The device, about the size of a CD case, runs Google's Android operating system and offers Netflix, Hulu and other streaming channels in addition to Amazon Prime instant video.
Adultery site big in Japan where marriage reigns
TOKYO (AP) — Ashley Madison, the world's biggest online hookup site for married people, is scoring big in Japan.
The nation that prides itself on conformity and proper appearances reached a million users in eight and a half months, the fastest pace among any of the 37 countries where the adultery site operates.
Extramarital sex and affairs are not new to Japan. There is a tradition of wealthy men taking mistresses in Japan, and its male-dominated society has provided plenty of outlets for married men to find casual sex. But some say the site is levelling out of the playing field for women.
Ashley Madison, whose slogan is "Life is short. Have an affair", has 1.07 million users in Japan after opening here in June.
By The Associated Press=
The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 40.39 points, or 0.24 per cent, to close at 16,573. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5.38 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 1,890.90. The Nasdaq composite rose 8.52 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 4,276.46.
Benchmark U.S. crude for May delivery slipped 12 cents to close at $99.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Wholesale gasoline was flat at $2.87 a gallon. Natural gas rose 9 cents to $4.36 per 1,000 cubic feet. Heating oil shed 2 cents to $2.87 a gallon. Brent crude, used to set prices for international varieties of oil, dropped 83 cents to $104.79 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London.


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Territorial A-ZA | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0-9
6 results for Indian floats:
Displaying results:1-5
See results 6 - 6
View all results
Authors: No authors specified.
Date: September 1, 1855
It appeared that Dr. Johnston Lykins, an active Indian agent and land speculator, made this copy in longhand on September 1, 1855, of a notice issued the previous day by the surveyor general for Kansas and Nebraska territories, John Calhoun. These "instructions for Wyandot float" were said to provide protection of "the rights of the Wyandott Indians reserves," described here as "thirty-five in number . . . One Section of 640 acres each, 'out of any of the lands west of the Mississippi river, set apart for Indian use.'" The document provided the details for how this was to work in practice.
Keywords: American Indians (see also Native Americans); Calhoun, John; Indian floats; Land speculation; Lykins, Johnston; Native Americans; Wyandot Float; Wyandot Indians
Letter, C. [Charles] Robinson to A. A. Lawrence
Authors: Robinson, Charles
Date: September 28, 1855
Charles Robinson, writing from Lawrence, K. T. to Amos A. Lawrence, expressed his optimism about the prospects of Kansas entering the union as a free state within one year. Robinson also informed Lawrence that he had drawn upon him for $1000 to cover New England Emigrant Aid Company expenses.
Keywords: Douglas County, Kansas Territory; Free state cause; Free state perspective; Indian floats; Lawrence, Amos Adams, 1814-1886; Lawrence, Kansas Territory; New England Emigrant Aid Company; Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894
Brief for Applicant in the matter of the "Wyandott Robitaille Float."
Authors: Weer, William
Date: Circa 1856
William Weer served as legal counsel for the Wyandotte Reserve and presented this brief on behalf of William Lykins and Robert Robitaille apparently to the Commissioner of the Land Office at Lecompton, Kansas Territory. Lykins and Robitaille were attempting to receive a patent for land that was also claimed by the Lawrence Association, Gaius Jenkins, Charles Robinson, S. J. Livingston, George G. Mathews, and William Savage. The brief contained a short history of the Wyandot tribes removal west and various treaties involving land. The claim involved parts of the city of Lawrence. The brief cited various cases and laws upon which Mr. Weer based his arguments.
Keywords: American Indians (see also Native Americans); Douglas County, Kansas Territory; Indian floats; Indian lands; Jenkins, Gaius; Lawrence, Kansas Territory; Lecompton, Kansas Territory; Livingston, S. J.; Lykins, William H. R.; Mathews, George G.; Native Americans; Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894; Robitaille, Robert; Savage, William; United States. General Land Office; Weer, William; Wyandot Float; Wyandot Indians
Letter, Silas Armstrong to Dear Sister
Authors: Armstrong, Silas
Date: March 1, 1857
Silas Armstrong wrote again to "Sister", this time from Washington, D.C., regarding her dissatisfaction with the purchase Silas had made for her in town shares. Armstrong reassured her that he had treated the investment as if it were his own. He told her that he had tried again to locate her float in the Shawnee lands, but that her uncertainty in all this business made him afraid to continue, for fear that she become angry with him. Armstrong added that he was helping the Seneca and Wyandot delegation with their business, but feared that they too would not accomplish anything.
Keywords: Armstrong, Lucy B.; Armstrong, Silas; Indian floats; Indian lands; Shawnee Indian Reserve
Letter, C. [Robinson] to My Dear S [Sara Robinson]
Authors: Robinson, Charles
Date: January 6, 1859
From Washington, D.C., Charles Robinson wrote his wife back home in Lawrence regarding land and railroad issues that he was working on behalf of in the capital. Robinson briefly addresses issues having to do with Indian land disputes, but focuses even more on the competition for railroads being fought out in Washington between Lawrence, Leavenworth, and Kansas City. ". . . Lawrence must fight its own battles . . . . I hope to be able to make Lawrence a point on both roads before we get through." [For more information on this battle over railroads, see I. E. Quastler, "Charting a Course: Lawrence, Kansas, and Its Railroad Strategy, 1854-1872," Kansas History 18 (Spring 1995): 18-33. For a time, civic and business leaders sought to make Lawrence the regional rail center with an aggressive promotion's plan, but they ultimately, and perhaps inevitably, lost the prize to Kansas City; this piece is largely drawn from the author's 1979 book-length study, The Railroads of Lawrence.]
Keywords: Atchison, Kansas Territory; Ewing, Thomas, 1829-1896; Indian Affairs, Commissioner of; Indian floats; Jenkins, Gaius; Kansas City, Missouri; Leavenworth, Kansas Territory; Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894; Robinson, Sara T. L. (Sara Tappan Lawrence), 1827-1911; School lands; Stevens, Robert S.; United States. Commissioner of Indian Affairs; United States. General Land Office
|See results 6 - 6

subset: commoncrawl


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For a good time, call...: Disarmingly entertaining, or just plain vulgar?
Of the lonely ways to spend money, paying for phone sex strikes me as the most pathetic. A prostitute is really there. A phone sex companion is only a sound track for masturbation, and the man who needs one must have a desperate lack of imagination. Equally depressing to me are some of the reviews received by For a Good Time, Call... the story of two former college enemies who team up as phone sexers and become gal pals. "Enough laughs and goodwill to be disarmingly entertaining," I read in one review. "A feel-good raunch-com," says another. I quote them as a public service, since one male reviewer thinks women could like this movie enough to come back a second time "and bring their boyfriends."
I wouldn't want to be one of those boyfriends. I'm not objecting to the movie on grounds of taste, but because it is stupid, vulgar, crass and mercilessly formulaic. On second thought, maybe I am objecting on grounds of taste. It is quite possible for the vulgar to be funny, but to succeed, it must rise to a certain genius. Shortly after Mel Brooks released "The Producers," I was in an elevator with him when a woman said, "Your film was nothing but vulgar." Brooks regarded her sternly. "Madam," he said, "my film rises BELOW vulgarity."
The story involves Lauren and Katie (Lauren Anne Miller and Ari Graynor), who have hated each other ever since a college party malfunction involving urine. Now Lauren is desperate when her boyfriend (James Wolk) announces he is moving to Italy and orders her to leave their apartment immediately. Meanwhile, Katie faces eviction from her late grandmother's rent-controlled luxury apartment overlooking Gramercy Park. Their needs are matched up by a mutual best friend from college named Jesse (Justin Long), who is gay, fulfilling the unwritten requirement that any male capable of being the best friend of two women at the same time must be gay, as a straight man cannot be best friends with more than one female, at most.Read more on: For a Good Time Call movie


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
For the truly hard-core elements of the film, von Trier used body doubles for the stars. But, Vesth revealed, the Danish director will use digital technology to combine the actors' non-explicit displays with the pornographic performance of the doubles.We shot the actors pretending to have sex and then had the body doubles, who really did have sex, and in post we will digital-impose the two, Vesth explained. So above the waist it will be the star and the below the waist it will be the doubles.
White girls getting deep dicked by black dudes on film isn't anything new. Oh, right, LVT has never been out of Northern Europe. "BEHOLD! For I have invented a new cinematic genre! Allow me to introduce you to............INTERRACIAL PORNOGRAPHY!"


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The Flying Dutch posted their 500th victory under veteran coach Karla Wolters in dramatic and celebrative style on Wednesday, March 24, in Florida.
The longtime Hope coach has announced she will retire from teaching and coaching at the end of this season.
Her 500th Hope coaching victory came in a 5-4 victory over Grinnell, Iowa at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning, sophomore Stephanie Faber hit a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice hit by Abby Phillips. Junior Suzie Stevenson followed with a single and coach Wolters from her familiar third base coaching position waved the baserunner home where she was safe on a close play.
The Flying Dutch gave Wolters her first-ever post-game Gatorade shower and the former softball Olympian Dot Richardson, who is director of the National Training Center where the game was played, presented her with the game ball.
Hope had opened the day with a 6-0 victory over Washington and Jefferson, Pa behind a one-hit pitching effort by junior Michelle Marra.
The sweep extended Hope's winning streak to three in-a-row and puts the Flying Dutch at 5-5 in Florida. The team heads begin their regular season Saturday with games to be played in Wheaton, Ill. The team's first home games will be Saturday, April 3, against MIAA rival Alma.
Coach Wolters is in her 36th year of coaching, the last 23 as Hope's head softball coach. Her coaching record at Hope is 500-302 and her career mark is 669-380. She ranks as the fifth winningest coach all-time in NCAA Division III.


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Get connected at your uni before you even get there.
The students in your AFES group know your campus inside out. And we're here to help show you the ropes and get off to a good start.
Maybe you're like 'Other Christians at uni? Sign me up!'
Or maybe you're just checking out who Jesus is for the first time.
Either way, this is a good place to start... we'll get back to you.


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There are hundreds of apps released each month and we scour the Interent for the top picks so you don't have to. On the December edition of Apps to Know we found useful apps for holiday gifting and traveling.
First up we have a powerful photo edit, Snapseed. It is one of the top iOS photo editing apps available now on Android and free! Google bought the app earlier this year and dropped the five dollar price tag for its customers. Snapseed lets you edit your photos like a professional offering more than simple filters.
Ink Cards gives users the chance to send created images as a real postcard right from your smartphone. Send beautifully designed five by seven cards to real mailboxes for $1.99. This app will also suggest you to send your photos to your closest Facebook friends. Ink Cards is free for Android and iOS. If you would like a similar experience for a little bit cheaper, Touchnote is free for download on iOS and Android and 99 cents to send your photos out.
Cobook is a new type of address book for your iPhone. The app takes info from Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to help fill in extra details about your contacts. There is even a dial pad so that you can replace your phone icon with co-book. It is free for iPhone.
Make holiday travel a little less stressful with airports using TravelNerd. The simple app has you covered providing information on airports around the world. You can see terminal maps, food choices past security, WiFi details, and much more. Airports by TravelNerd is free on iOS.
Finally, make the most of your premium cable channels and streaming movie services with NextGuide. The app gives users a way to understand all of what's on your screen and offers a new way to look at the classic grid guide. It's the best way Rich found to search for movies across cable tv, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, and iTunes. Next Guide is free for the iPad.
For more information and links to all of the apps mentioned, go to RichOnTech.TV


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Raleigh, North Carolina
St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Parish serves a diverse community of Catholic believers in Raleigh, N.C. The parish has the largest Hispanic population of all the Roman Catholic parishes in Raleigh and serves the religious and social needs of this vibrant community. Masses are celebrated throughout the week in both English and Spanish.
St. Raphael was originally planned as a chapel under Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, but in 1965 a development and manufacturing business moved into the area, bringing with it enough Roman Catholics to require a church instead of the small chapel. In 1966, the Bishop of Raleigh formally dedicated St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church.
The parish offers many worship, faith and social action programs for parishioners. These include Bible study, Harvest for Hunger, Health Care Ministry and an Art & Liturgical Environment Committee.
The parish also has a preschool and a grade school, educating children in the Jesuit tradition. The Saint Raphael Catholic School experience includes: daily prayer, all-school Mass, religion classes, ceremonies, student retreats, community service, reconciliation services and involvement in the parish.


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Snoop Dogg was busted this weekend by another dog who led border agents in Texas to a pot stash aboard the rapper's tour bus.
According to Hudspeth County sheriff's office, Calvin Broadus (yes, Calvin) was arrested Saturday at a highway checkpoint and cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor typical in cases involving small amounts of marijuana.
A border agent and his pooch found a prescription bottle with several marijuana cigarettes in a bus trashcan, and more marijuana was found in two other containers. In all, 0.13 pounds of the drug were found.
Broadus admitted the drug was his and was released, the sheriff's office said.
Broadus' agent didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. In interviews, the rapper has said he has a license to use medical marijuana in his home state of California because he suffers from migraines and blurred vision.
County Judge Becky Dean Walker says paraphernalia citations are typically handled by justices of the peace in the county and that they are resolved by a no contest plea and a mailed-in fine of up to $500.
Country singer Willie Nelson was arrested in November 2010 for marijuana possession at that same checkpoint.


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Following the migration of the Lavastorm support system to the Infogix support system all questions on LAE and questions about migrating to Data360® Analyze should be posted on the new community forum.
You can access the Infogix support portal, which covers all Infogix products, here:
To post a question follow the Community link from there to view the LAE community topics. Alternatively, you can go directly to the LAE Community topics using the following link:


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I think he left, currently he is on the other forum. I think I know why he left, but it doesn't really matter I guess. Brian has left the other one and I'm pretty sure I have as well, unless they make some changes over there sometime soon.We each have to make decisions based on whether a forum is contributing to our lives or detracting from them. ....Look!, some guy named fartymarty is getting all serious and philosophical on the internet. OH WAIT! HERE HE IS: http://fartymarty.smugmug.com/Other/COG-National-2014/i-PCWK2B2/0/O/IMG_0493_WHERE_IS_ZG.jpgGumby may have more details he can share.
Marty, want me to have Kirby cheer you up?
.... and in the near- center, foreground of the very photo you posted a link to is none other than Glenn, the marketing director for 'the other one'.
some support both forums. my pet peeve is steering wheels mounted on the wrong side of cars, and neither forum promotes such
For those that do not know, ZG and Gumby both left for the same silly (IMO) reason. Neither one of them like Max, in fact they both had Max on their ignore list here.
Don't get me wrong. I like all three, Gumby, Max, and ZG (notice the alphabetized order )
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Has this happened to you? You finally decided to order a sport variator, the package from SIP arrives and your weekend tuning session can begin - and it happens - some little part breaks and the whole job runs to a grinding halt cause there's no replacement part.
Recommendation! Don't forget to order center pieces to keep the gremlins away!
OEM Numbers (for the purpose of comparison)


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I made a request to the HPC admins for a quad core linux development box. They can give me a system with a single socket Intel Nehalem Xeon 3500 quad core processor. From what I've seen on PAPI's homepage (http://icl.cs.utk.edu/papi/news/news.html?id=203) it appears that PAPI has support only for the Intel Core i7 (Nehalem) processor.
What would be the chances of PAPI being supported on the Intel Nehalem Xeon 3500 processor?


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- Accessibility Statement
- Access Keys
- Print Friendly Pages
- Adobe PDF Files
- Changing the text size
- Changing the text colours/fonts
- Accessibility link
Accessibility Statement
The National Records of Scotland (NRS) is committed to ensuring that this website is accessible to the widest possible range of people. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the accessibility of this site, or if you have difficulty using any part of it, please contact the Webmaster using our Contact Form.
Access Keys
The functionality of the access keys depends on the operating system and browser you are using. The attribute is supported by all major browsers.
- Firefox: Alt key and Shift key and access key
- Chrome: Alt key and access key
- Safari: Alt key and access key
- Internet Explorer: Alt key and access key (also requires Enter if using IE 8 or 9)
- Firefox: Ctrl key plus Opt key and access key
- Chrome: Ctrl key plus Opt key and access key
- Safari: Ctrl key plus Opt key and access key
- Internet Explorer: Alt key and access key (also requires Enter if using IE 8 or 9)
Access Keys
Access Key
Area Profiles
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Print Friendly Pages
All pages on this website are print friendly.
Adobe PDF Files
There are many PDF files on this website. To view PDF files you will need Adobe Reader®. Download it free from the Adobe Acrobat website.
Also on the Adobe Acrobat website are online conversion tools for Adobe PDF documents. These will convert to text PDF files that are in English and most West European languages.
Changing the text size
This is dependent on the version of browser you are using:
- Firefox: Select the 'View' menu, then 'Zoom', then one of the options.
- Chrome: Select one of the 'Text Zoom' options in the 'Customise and control Google Chrome' menu.
- Safari: Ctrl and '+' button.
- IE 9 and above: Select 'Settings', then one of the options under 'Zoom'.
- IE 8: Select the 'Page' menu, then one of the options under 'Zoom' or 'Text Size'.
Changing the text colours/fonts
This is dependent on the version of browser you are using:
- Firefox: Choose 'Tools', 'Options' and then the 'Content' tab.
- Chrome: Change font style - settings icon (Chrome) > Options (Preferences) > Under the Hood > Customise Fonts.
- Safari: Select Preferences from the Edit menu at the top of the window. Click on Web content and uncheck the Show style sheets option. Return to the list of preferences and choose Web browser. Click on Language/Fonts and choose the size you need.
- IE: Click the Accessibility button and choose to ignore the way the page is formatted. In the Internet options menu, use the Colours and Fonts buttons to set your preferences.
Accessibility link
For more help visit the Accessibility page on the Microsoft website.


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Increase Sales By 400% and Get More Optins With This Simple, Easy-to-Use Website Plugin...
"Yes, You Too Can Increase Your Optins And Build A Bigger Email List
And Start Doing It Today...
In Less Than 10 Minutes"
What Do The World's Top Marketers
Have In Common?
They All Use "Action PopUp!"
From: Robert Plank
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2020
RE: More Subscribers & Sales For You
Dear Internet Marketer, Blogger, or Listbuilder:
We all know how important building an opt-in list is to your success online.
Even if your sales letter converts at a whopping 5%, you've lost 95 out of every 100 prospects that come to your site. Forever.
The same is true on your blog. Maybe they'll read one page, maybe they'll comment one time, then poof... they're gone.
If you follow-up with potential customers regularly with an autoresponder, you can build a trust relationship and at the same time share gifts and information with your prospect over time to get them to buy from you.
Get them to click on any link, comment on any blog post, retweet, or purchase... on command.
Action PopUp to the rescue! A popup is a smaller window that appears on a sales page where you convince a visitor to opt-in to your newsletter so you can contact them later with a special offer.
"70,000 E-Mail Opt-Ins Every Year...
With Zero Advertising!"
I decided to use the "Action PopUp" WordPress plugin which you can use with most autoresponders out there.
I typically get around 40 unique subscribers a day from straight organic traffic. (I don't advertise my blog at all.)
First day, 124 subscribers. Second day, 188. Third day (today), 353 new subscribers! 8X increase!
(I'm on my way to beating that again today. Wow.)
If you do the math, getting an average of 200 new subscribers a day will grow my list by 70,000+ in one year. And that's without any advertising at all.
This little tool more than quadrupled my signups!
Michel Fortin, Copywriter
If they buy from your sales page right away, great! If not, you can remind them to come back at a later date.
"Well Worth What I Paid!"
Now THIS is my kind of pop-up! Non-obtrusive, and appearing at EXACTLY the right time - when they're about to leave.
Robert, you've cracked it. Well worth what I paid.
Paul Hancox
But it's not all candy canes and rainbows...
- Problem #1: Popups and newsletter forms on sales pages decrease conversion rates.
- Problem #2: Most popup software is difficult to install or is blocked by modern browsers.
- Problem #3: Certain kinds of popups can only be shown when the visitor arrives at your site, not when they leave.
"I Don't Want It To Interfere..."
I'm looking for an exit-pop program that won't "pop-up" unless a user hits 'back', closes the page or types a new URL in the address bar.
I don't want it to interfere with order links, affiliate links, subscribing to an on-page aweber form, etc.
To fix the situation, I've invented the Action PopUp. One easy to install script runs as a one-click WordPress plugin (for blogs) or as a standalone PHP script (for web pages).
Your Web Site Can Have An Action PopUp
Just Like This...
Not only can this run on any web page, I've also made it available as a WordPress plugin to make it drop dead easy for you.
Watch This Video On How Easy It Is
To Use Action Popup...
"Substantially More Downloads!"
I use the Action PopUp script as a last ditch reminder to download my software.
Since installing the script my software has been downloaded substantially more than in the past.
Great script!!!
Michael Kelly
"This One's Different!"
I generally hate popups... they follow you all over, or pop up endlessly in the same visit.
But this one's different. Love the way it looks and is presented.
Kat Bartone
- Action PopUps make your newsletter forms subscribe in the background, so your prospect can continue reading while they opt-in to your list. (NO custom scripting needed!)
- Action PopUps work on blogs. I've coded this as a standalone PHP script and as a WordPress plugin, so you can easily install it anywhere!
- Action PopUps are unblockable because they use HTML layers instead of opening new windows like conventional popups.
- Action PopUps are extremely easy to install. They intelligently figure out how to read your opt-in code, how to hide the form, and so on.
- Action PopUps appear when your visitor is about to leave your site using special mouse-tracking technology. From now on your popups won't distract the user from your page, only when they're leaving.
Download this Easy to Install PopUp Right Now »
"I'm A Tech Dummy,
Is It Easy to Install the Script?"
It's as Easy as 1-2-3...
- STEP 1: Paste your opt-in code to a file. (5-10 seconds)
- STEP 2: Upload the script. (10 seconds)
- STEP 3: Paste one line of code on your sales letter. (5-10 seconds)
- Total Install Time: 20 to 30 seconds
"Unlike Other Exit Grabber Solutions..."
I like the Personalization feature, plus the "exit grabber" like feature which makes the window appear when I try to leave the page.
I'm also fond of the "close the window" link in your popup window, because when I choose to close it, and then I try to navigate away from the page, the popup no longer appears.
In other "exit grabber"-type scripts that I've seen, the popup keeps appearing every time I try to navigate away from the page, so I just end up closing the tabbed page.
Manuel Viloria
If you want, you can go back and customize the color, size and position of the pop-up. You can decide if you want the pop-up to appear when the page first loads, people are about to leave your site, or click an offsite link. You edit one easy file!
Making this extra change adds an additional 30 seconds (MAXIMUM) to your setup time.
FACT: Action PopUp Is The First And Only Exit-Popover Script Designed For Opt-In Forms!
- The popup is unblockable since it uses HTML layers instead of actual pop-up windows.
- A lightbox effect dims the screen behind the popup to prevent them from being distracted by what you have underneath... and eager to fill out the popup form so they can get back to what they were doing!
- The popup will appear after every visit, but once they subscribe to your list... no more popups!
- Use any autoresponder code you want - even Aweber!
- This script runs 100% on YOUR SERVER so you aren't dependent on any other sites, plus you don't have to pay a monthly fee.
The truth is, there is a big disconnect between coders, marketers and designers.
Coders want to tack on as many useless features as possible, while marketers want the easiest script that converts visitors into subscribers as well as possible.
I'm a coder and a marketer. I own 100 domain names, have 50 sites and even more sales letters and blogs.
The coder in me programmed a simple popup script that the marketer in me knew how to use.
"4 Subscribes...
Before I Even Finished Editing It!"
I'm loving Action PopUp, opt-ins are coming in like clockwork from your Action PopUp exit popup that appears when people are about to leave. Btw, that's a effective method because I give them content and they feel they've gotten value, so when there about to leave, it pops up breaking that trust barrier and they opt in.
My tip, I found having it popup asap without them reading content, some opt-in but the thing is most will close it first to see your content so having it popup after they've read your content, they're highly likely to opt-in. The 5 - 10 second delay works good too, just for your stats.
I really thank you for replying and creating such a powerful script, the funny thing is, before I even finished editing it, I had 4 subscribes!
Terrance Charles
Increase Opt-In Rates with Action PopUp »
Quick Question:
Does "Action PopUp" Work With Blogs?
Are you kidding me?!
I keep telling you -- Action PopUp is available as a standalone PHP script that works on ANY PHP site... as well as a WordPress plugin, for no additional charge.
Now you get that customizable, unblockable, list-building on-exit lightbox as a WordPress plugin in ADDITION to the regular script.
"25% Increase in Subscribers in 10 Days!"
I set up Action PopUp plus Action Comments on my blog.
I've seen a 25% increase in total subscribers in the past 10 days -- from about 150 subscribers to 200.
I'm impressed.
Ryan Healy, Professional Copywriter
You just upload this script's folder into your WordPress folder and it somehow works. That's how magic this popup script is. So easy a child could do it.
"Simple to Install Even For Me!"
I think I own every pop programme ever sold. Most are never installed (too fiddly) and many fail to "pop-up" or are binned for other similar reasons.
I never figured Robert for a Pop Up person and was for some reason quite surprised to get his pitch.
Since I'm one on his junkies I bought it and sad to say it remained on my hard drive for some time.
An entirely unrelated incident caused me to blow off the dust and surprise surprise it did what it said on the can. (This is by no means common) Simple to install even for a wrinkly like myself I particularly liked to Admin facilities and the ability to change colors.
If you don't have it buy it. If you don't like it (There will be one of you) ask for your money back. Robert is particularly good with his warrenties.
It was foolish of me not to use it initially but, I was, and still am involved in WP Sites where Popup progs are either of poor quality or poor design.
Philip Jubb
Add Action PopUp To Your Web Site Today »
Action PopUp Is For More Than Name Capture...
You Can Use It For All Of Your One Time Offers
Action PopUp will show a countdown timer to only display your opt-in form, video, audio, or link for a certain number of seconds... YOU decide.
Your visitor originally didn't want to give up their email address -- but WOAH! They want to see this!
Even though they didnt opt in they're still taken to the product sales page, AND the sales page will be personalized with their name.
"Easiest Pop-Up I've Ever Set Up"
Just installed it on my site(an yeah it is as easy as you say!)
However, what I think makes this stand out, is how good the result is!! It always seems to me the less complicated the installation of a script is, the more you are dissapointed with the overall final result. Yours is the EASIEST Ive ever tried to set up and has given me the BEST results!!
Pete Crossman
"Up And Running In No Time"
As with all Robert's scripts this "does what it says on the tin"
With Robert's superb instructions and video tutorials you will have it up and running in no time.
What more can I say it's fab!
David Rogers
"Putting This on All My New Sites"
I used your 1.0 version on several of my blogs that I recently sold. I loved the easy customization that it offered.
I am looking forward to putting this on all of the new sites I am getting ready to build.
Gregg Hall
Get Your Hands on Action PopUp in the Next Few Seconds! »
"Customizable With Your Easy Step-by-Step Videos"
Robert, you are truly the "King of PHP." Action PopUp is an effective script and even a "PHP Dummy" like me can istall it with your instructions.
I love how it can be customized and how easy your step-by-step videos make it. I am always on the look out for your newsletter to see your latest offering.
Now that Action PopUp is a WordPress plugin I don't know how you can make it any better.
Janis Miller
"None Came Close To The Ease Of Setup"
I'm a geek -- unashamedly so -- and I tend to try several different options when looking for software to solve a problem. There are many lightbox/popup options on the market and I've tried quite a few, but none came close to the ease of setup offered by Robert's Action Popup.
There are some great features without making them difficult to use, even if you're not a geek! You can't go wrong with Action Popup.
Don Morris
"Made My Money Back the Day I Implemented It!"
I can confirm this script has already made me back more than I paid for it since I tracked the link on the popup itself and was pleased to see tens and tens of dollars cam from people clicking that link & filling out my CPA offer...
It's the best of the best.
It has helped increase sales. I use it instead of opt-ins, and will use nothing else.
I'll repeat that. It made me the money back the day I implemented it on one PPC landing page.
Dhira Y.
Implement Action PopUp on Your Blog or Web Site Now »
"So Easy To Install And Use!"
Bought 1.0 and while I generally have trouble installing and configuring scripts, Robert makes it so easy to install and use. Looking forward to my free upgrades.
Tom Kaasbell
Peachtree City, GA
"Makes The Internet Much Easier To Live With"
Listen up everyone, don't beat about the bush, if you don't already have Roberts Scripts then you are really missing a HUGE step up in your online endeavours...he makes it so easy to understand complex PHP issues. He IS a genius in the making...
Thanks for ALL your efforts Robert in making the Internet much easier to live with.
Steve Scully
"Essential In Any Sales Process..."
Optins using inline popups and iframes are essential in any sales process to stop visitors leaving your sales page, even for a few seconds.
Action PopUp does a brilliant job of stopping readers' attention wandering and, even better, is now a WordPress plugin!
Chris Noble
"Conversions Have Improved..."
Action PopUp is super cool and easy to use even for a beginner like me!
Conversions so far have improved although I don't get a great deal of traffic yet...that's my next task.
Cool ideas for the future? What about adding some sound for us to choose from that chimes at the same time as the pop up appearing to grab the users attention even more. Maybe even being able to record our own voice saying "Hey, please don't leave, I have a free gift for you..." or whatever...
Thanks for a great script.
Michelle Adams
"It Runs On My Server, Giving Me Complete Control..."
I have been on Robert's email list for some time. I buy his products because they are quality products that I can count on.
What I like most about Action PopUp is: Once someone subscribes to my list and returns to my site they are not pestered by the same popup again. In other words they never see the popup again. How cool is that?
Action PopUp saves me money because I was able to cancel my other monthly subscription. I like having it runs on my server, giving me complete control.
Control, customization, and saving money in the long run, are the reasons I purchased Action PopUp.
Curt Landberg
Instant Access - Click Here »
Order Today And Also Receive (For 100% Free) Our Easy Tutorials To Implement Action PopUp On Your Site
- How to get Action PopUp to appear when the page loads instead of when leaving...
- How to make the pop-up load on a delay...
- Set the popup to any size, color, or position you want!
- How to build a one-time-offer countdown into Action PopUp (it doesn't even require any extra code!)
- How to supply your own thank you page instead of the default one.
- The quick 30 second install video that takes you by the hand and shows you how easy it is to add Action Pop-Ups to your site!
- How to customize the color, size, position, and effect of the pop-up.
- How to personalize the page so that, after filling out your form, the sales letter changes to say something like "Dear George" without reloading the page!
- Capture Link Clicks: How to intercept users when they click exit links instead of when they move their mouse to leave!
- Inline Page Integration: Want to shut off the pop-up effect but leave the disappearing and page branding profit-pulling features of Action PopUp? That's no problem either! It's all explained in detail.
"The Best PopUp Tool Out There!"
Action PopUp is the best popup tool out there, and the best part is...it's really easy to use and install. That's important for someone like me who's not a programmer (or comfortable with code in any way).
I installed it in under 5 minutes last night and it works perfectly.
It does a lot of other really cool stuff too (Like integration with Wordpress that allows you to add subscribers to your list when they leave comments), make sure you go through the tutorial.
All of Robert's products are top notch, Action PopUp is no exception.
Steven Schwartzman
"Only Shows To People Who Haven't Yet Subscribed..."
I SWORE I'd never buy another pop-up script... but you caused me to break my vow.
Your script is so much more powerful than any other I've used, plus it provides the best of both worlds by only showing to people who haven't yet subscribed.
Holly Cotter
Special Bonus #1: Disappearing Optin Box
"Add Distraction-Free Disappearing Optin Forms to Your Site"
What Secret Recipes Did Your Mother Forget to Teach You About Opt-In List Building?
Veteran Internet Marketer, List Builder, Computer Programmer and Discussion Board Networker Combines His Entire Skillset To Bring You This Quick & Easy Conversion-Boosting PHP Script...
Action Opt-In is a plugin that allows you to use your existing newsletter subscription forms on your sales pages and thank you pages...
By making them DISAPPEAR after people subscribe!
Under normal circumstances, placing a newsletter form on a sales page is a definite NO-NO in Internet marketing.
*You Just Lost A Sale!* When a visitor is about to buy, and they decide to sign up to your newsletter instead, they are taken to a "thank you for signing up" page where they can't order.
If you have any newsletter forms on your sales pages, remove them immediately
Or: (easier solution) grab a copy of Action Opt-In!
Stop Worrying About Lost Sales Due to Distracting Opt-In Forms... the "Action Opt-In" PHP Script Gives You A Win-Win Scenario By Allowing You to Build A List and Take in Sales -- Without NameSqueezes or Pop-Ups!
- Passive Subscription: Visitors fill in the information and subscribe to your autoresponder, without leaving your current page!
- No Distracting Linktraps: Once your prospect has filled out the subscription form, it vanishes and they can keep reading the current sales page (or continue downloading your product if it's a thank you page).
- Cookie Technology: Action Opt-In remembers if your visitors have already subscribed to your newsletter and will hide the subscription box on repeat visits so they won't be bothered again and again.
Get This Bonus, FREE, When You Order Action PopUp! »
Special Bonus #2: Action Comments
"Convert Blog Commenters Into Subscribers"
Sick Of Building Worthless Blogs That Don't Make Money?
Finally... If You Can Spare 3 Minutes, You Can Funnel Blog Commenters Into Your Autoresponder Lists! Turn Useless Blog Content Into Repeat, Income Generating Traffic...
Skills Required? Copy-and-Paste!
One of the first things I noticed when creating blogs and sales letters was that, if your call-to-action isn't clear, you won't get what you want.
Having one call to action is like running water across a pipe... it travels in a single direction and gets to where it's going... fast.
Having multiple calls-to-action is like running water across a pipe... with lots of little holes drilled into it. The water will dribble in all directions.
Since I created my first blog, I struggled with what call-to-action I wanted to give my visitors. Did I want them to buy now? Did I want them to leave a comment? Subscribe to RSS? Click on AdSense ads?
Opt-In To My E-Mail List So I Can Continue To Market To Them Over Time?
So many choices... and because there was more than ONE choice... I was losing potential visitors and missing out on easy money.
That's why I created Action Comments, the WordPress plugin that SNATCHES your visitors' information from your blog comment forms... and adds them to your mailing list.
You only need to worry about one thing: getting someone to leave a comment on your blog. You get a visitor to leave a comment (even a quick one) and they feel like they're contributing to your site. When they receive messages from you, it psychologically feels more like a 2-way conversation instead of a 1-way lecture.
Single Payment of $47 for 1 Year of Updates
Don't delay, this price is for a limited time only!
You will download Action PopUp within the next 5 minutes.
Cash In On Exit Traffic NOW By Ordering Below...
You Get Instant Access!
Robert Plank
Action PopUp List Builder
P.S. Action PopUp is the easiest popup software you will ever use! It is coded with a complete newbie in mind.
P.P.S. Remember, our supply of the free bonuses is limited. I can only guarantee you'll receive them if you order right away. So don't delay. Act now while it's fresh on your mind.
"Integrates With All Major Autoresponders... And Your WordPress Blog Seamlessly!
We chose Action Popup for the very reason that it's easy to integrate with WordPress. It looks and acts just like a regular WordPress plugin, where you upload to your plugins folder, you activate it and then it therefore has a series of options for which you can begin customizing it and so forth.
And the good part is that it integrates with all of the major autoresponders. When somebody fills in their name and e-mail address, that e-mail address is sent to your autoresponder company, and you can begin communicating with them over there. Likewise, it integrates with your WordPress blog or your WordPress site seamlessly.
You can control the timing of it so that it appears after a certain period of time, you could have it appear instantly, you could have it appear on certain pages and so forth. It's a fabulous plugin and we highly recommend it.
Stu McLaren Co-Founder, Wishlist Products
Robert Plank holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from California State University Stanislaus.


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Etsy gift guide
Go here to see my little compilation of handmade and vintage gift ideas, I hope you
like them. I tried to cover everyone, within reason, because I know how hard some
people can be to shop for. Really, people, Etsy is one of the best places to buy gifts!
Also, this is the last of these sort of compiled images I will be posting in a long
while, trust me. Sorry.
Oh, and I used that same photo from my hair post a while back. I know it's not great
but something is better than nothing!
Other Stories
11 comments:
i pretty much love just about everything in your collection. nicely done!ReplyDelete
excellent pics!!ReplyDelete
i am totally LOVING everything i am seeing here!!ReplyDelete
I always enjoy looking at your esty picks, wonderful taste! And thanks for sharing those gift ideas, I pretty much like them all and want them all!ReplyDelete
what an incredibly sweet gift guide jenn! loved seeing it on etsy front page!ReplyDelete
what a great list. I like how you have something for everyone. this is what I have in mind for xmas shopping. sure beats going to the mall!ReplyDelete
thank you.
Such a great guide - LOVE the jewelry and thanks!ReplyDelete
great gift guide. thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete
seriously nice guide~ I would love for someone to gift me those tassel earrings ;DReplyDelete
Absolutely lovely, is it wrong that I want it all.ReplyDelete
just a bit behind on my reading - but wanted to say what a fabulous collection!ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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The Embraer Jet Operators Association was founded in 2010 to: 1) promote the safe and efficient use of Embraer Phenom aircraft, and 2) encourage collaboration and fellowship among Phenom owners, operators and service providers.
Many resources are available to Association members including quarterly newsletters, annual conferences, member discounts on goods and services, and much more.
Apply Now for Membership.


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GhostX is a unique 3D, sci-fi MMO where players assume control of a character that becomes an agent in the secret group known as 'White Aurora', who's mission is to eliminate the evil demon lord that threatens the human world. One thing to note about GhostX is that it's not a traditional MMO. Just about every aspect of the game is unique in some way or another. For starters, the game has no set classes, but rather an interesting 'Nanobot' system where a player's weapon levels up independently from their own experience and a player's strengths and weaknesses are tied to whichever weapon they're using at the moment. With hundreds of unique 'nanobots', GhostX has an enormous amount of variety. If you're looking for a new MMORPG to play, GhostX is well worth checking out.
- Status: Shut Down
- Release Date: Jun 15, 2005
- Business Model: Free to Play
- Developer: GameKiss
- Publisher: GameKiss
- Category: Stand-alone
- Genre(s): 3D, Adventure, RPG, Sci-Fi
- Platforms: PC
- +Has a plot.
- +Good interface.
- +Unique gameplay.
- -Many glitches.
- -Some quests are repetitive.
- -Very poor English translations.
- Recommended System Requirements:
- OS: Windows XP / Vista
- CPU: Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or better
- RAM: 512 MB or more
- GPU: GeForce 3 Ti / ATI Radeon 7500 or better.
- Description: GhostX is a unique 3D, sci-fi MMO where players assume control of a character that becomes an agent in the secret group known as 'White Aurora'.
Available On
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- Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios have announced that Star Trek Online on console will get the Season 12 update on April 18.


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Federal funds constitute nearly 50 percent of the UT System's research expenditures ($1.1 billion in FY2015).
UT System's students (over 200,000 strong) benefit from and rely upon more than $300 million in federal financial grant aid and program support annually.
UT System institutions are impacted by myriad federal legislation and regulations that affect our university community.
These factors underscore the critical need for frequent communication with government officials and coordination with the larger higher education community to effectively impact federal public policy. The Office of Federal Relations accomplishes this by continuously informing decision-makers of our components' resources, policy positions, and the achievements of UT System students and faculty.
The Office of Federal Relations (OFR), located one block from the White House in Washington, D.C., serves as the primary liaison between the UT System and Members of Congress, congressional staff, the White House, and federal agencies on federal issues important to the System and its 14 institutions. OFR provides support and service to our institutions by: strategic planning and issues management; responding to legislative inquiries; monitoring and analysis of federal legislation; identifying opportunities for our faculty to participate in congressional hearings, executive branch advisory groups and task forces, and national education forums; and promoting UT System campuses' research and policy agenda with agencies and Congressional members. Read more...
About the UT System
The UT System confers more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees, educates two-thirds of the state's health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public universities in Texas.
A wealth of data on the UT System and its component institutions is available in the Productivity Dashboard, which was created to increase transparency; measure more effectively our productivity, efficiency, and impact; and demonstrate more clearly our accountability. The annual Fast Facts report also includes data on enrollment, faculty, patient care, research funding and expenditures, and tuition, fees and financial aid for each of the fifteen campuses within the UT System. Additional data and reports from the OFR and the UT System are available here.
Additional Helpful Information
Here, campus PIs can find OFR produced-materials, pertinent presentations and links to external resources to help them on their quest to find federal funding opportunities. Agency-specific resources are also available for the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense.
Faculty and administrators who want to connect with Capitol Hill and the executive branch must track and disclose to OFR contacts with federal officials. Learn how to comply with civil and criminal laws regarding contacts with Congress, the White House and federal agencies. Still need help? Contact us!
The Archer Center gives students throughout the UT System an opportunity to intern and study in D.C. Since its inception in 2001, the Program has welcomed more than 600 undergraduate and graduate students.


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NAMI on Campus provides information and resources to support students' mental health and to empower them to take action on their college campuses. It helps to ensure that all students have positive, successful and fun college experiences.
To find a NAMI on Campus club at your school see the current listings or get started by forming a new club using the provided resources.


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Flag Day!
Flag Day ~ June 14
O'er the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave
The sight that inspired Francis Scott Key
to write the poem
The Star-Spangled Banner
Iwo Jima - Marine Memorial
The Flag at Arlington House
Arlington National Cemetery
The Flag at the National Archives
Washinton Monument
The site where he died.
Mr. Petersen scoured the desert for rocks and glass and built some incredible stuctures from them. This flag has 48 stars.
Pueblo, Colorado
Flag at the Painted Hills
Flag at Home
Flag at the Painted Hills
John Day National Monument
Flag at Home
Summer and Winter
Photos from my personal collection and travels
Photos from my personal collection and travels


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TSL Engineer TOTE Bag [Custom Order]
This item will be made by order. Please specify the specific paint color and stencil design when you order and allow for 3-4 months turn around for delivery.
Engineer Tote Bag is designed and made by a Japanese lifestyle brand The Superior Labor. It makes a perfect utilitarian companion as a carry-on bag for your next flight as well as everyday carry-all bag. We totally absolutely fell in love with their canvas/leather shoulder bag when we first saw them on the street of Harajyuku in Tokyo. You can adjust the shoulder straps to make sure that your tote bag fits you perfectly. The bag is versatile and durable and ready for small and big adventures... The more you use it, the softer the canvas and leather become. You can watch the quality and craftsmanship that goes into making these bags in the video The Superior Labor created.
The bag comes with two internal pockets for organizing small essentials like your phone and keys. The top closes with a sturdy brass zipper so that your belongings in the bag are safe and secure as you carry your bag. The flap for the top zipper can be completely opened and out of your way so that you could easily carry oversized items.
The canvas looks great with a pop of painted colors on the bottom (which not only looks amazing visually but also keeps dirt off from the canvas significantly!). I am sure you will find one of their paint options to compliment your unique style. All materials are carefully sourced in Japan and bags are made in The Superior Labor maker's studio in Okayama prefecture where they turned an old elementary school into a unique workshop space. You can check out more photos of how the Engineer Shoulder Bag looks over time via our blog post: [Metamorphosis] The Superior Labor Shoulder Bag / new vs. + 2yrs.
Also browse: other items from The Superior Labor
Materials: Canvas and leather
Dimension: L53cm x H32cm x W17cm (21" x 13" x 6.5").
Designed and Made By: Superior Labor in Japan
Condition: New
More Photos & Inspiration on Our Blog:


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- Business areas
- Application areas
- Work with us
- Cases
- Right now
- About us
- Dansk
As an anthropologist, Laura is an important contributor to innovation processes where she analyses the relationship between people, technology and business.
Her work spans several domains, problem areas and project types but always has an application-oriented approach to business and technology development. Laura is an expert in posing the right questions to understand the users, see problems from a new perspective or facilitate collaboration among people from diverse disciplines.
Laura has many years' experience of running and leading workshops to identify values and challenges in organisations. She also facilitates processes where different project partners work together to identify problem areas and contribute to innovative solutions.
An important part of her work is to transform academic knowledge into social utility. She therefore contributes to scientific publications, gives talks and organises knowledge dissemination events.
Laura has an MA in anthropology from Aarhus University where she specialised in design anthropology and innovation processes. As part of her studies, she conducted fieldwork in Silicon Valley.


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Gas Heater Service Cecil Hills
If your gas heater isn't functioning correctly, that can be a health and safety hazard. A faulty gas appliance can cause accidents and household fires. Also, it can create pollution in the indoor spaces of your home due to CO leaks and particulate matter. We at Hero Plumbing always emphasise timely repairs and maintenance of gas heaters in Cecil Hills.
It's necessary to make sure that all the gas appliances in your home, such as gas heaters are in good condition and that they are functioning in line with all the existing safety requirements.
What's Involved In Gas Heater Service Cecil Hills?
We recommend that gas appliances should be inspected and maintained regularly by a licensed gas fitter. This is your surety that the job will be done expertly and safely. Gas heater service involves a thorough check of all the components. If any minor issues are found, the skilled gas fitters in Cecil Hills will fix them before they get out of hand.
Gas appliance manufacturers generally recommend that a gas heater should be serviced annually. Your service manual will have this information on it. Getting the unit inspected and serviced right before wintertime can prove beneficial.
Why Does Timely Gas Heater Servicing Matter?
Sometimes, homeowners feel that this maintenance is an unrequired expense. But these regular service visits go a long way in saving you money on repairs in the long term. As mentioned, during these service visits, the gas plumbers Cecil Hills can determine whether there are any underlying issues or wear and tear.
They can then replace the small parts so that the gas heater functions safely and optimally. It also reduces the chances of downtimes on the system, increasing the lifespan of the unit. We have extensive experience with servicing and repairing all major brands of gas heaters of all types.
Regardless of the type of system you have, we are just a phone call away. If you have noticed any specific issues with the system, call us sooner than later. We offer prompt, reliable and affordable gas heater service in Cecil Hills. In addition to the service and maintenance of all types of units, we can also handle new installations and replacements. We are very transparent in our workings and provide objective advice on whether replacement or repairs are a better option.
Don't wait until wintertime to get your gas heater service Cecil Hills done. Call us today, and we will handle all cleaning, maintenance and repairs to industry standards. You'll enjoy the expertise and high-quality service that comes only from years of experience. For reliable, friendly and prompt has heater service Cecil Hills, call Hero Plumbing today. We work with all major brands of heaters, including Rinnai, Paloma, Everdure, Rheem, Vulcan, Masport, Archer.
For any more information, feel free to call Hero Plumbing at 1300 437 688. You can also request a free quote through this form. We have different specials at different times, find the latest discounts and offers on this page.
Book Online
Special Offers Available This Winter!


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ChefCarey wrote:.... I never had any problem drinking the water .... and on one occasion paddy water in Vietnam.
Ahh... good old agent orange in that water. The VA has determined that the agent orange I was exposed to may have caused my Type II diabetes. Didn't have rice paddies where I was (mountains up north), but I did drink a lot water from stream run-off in areas the were defoliated.


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Feedback for Running Races
Featured Running Races on Strava:
From the Explore tab, you can find a list of our currently featured races. Click on a race to open the race page and join.
On adding a new race:
We currently have an internal system in place to add races periodically using an algorithm based on the race's popularity amongst our athletes. This is reviewed several times a year but at this time we are not able make any promises that we can add other races manually. Please check out our current race list and keep an eye out for new events as they are added. We are constantly working to improve the Strava Races feature and hope to be able to add more races in the future.


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40 days
Today's blogger for the 40 Day Fast is Jason Gray, who writes about World Vision's work all over the world.
"Africa is, indeed, coming into fashion." - Horace Walpole (1774)
Today's blogger for the 40 Day Fast is Jason Gray, who writes about World Vision's work all over the world.
Speaker of the Texas House Tom Craddick will have a Democratic challenger on the ballot this fall. At least Midland voters will have an alternative.
My friend Julia recently moved to Colombia, where she is living in a peace community that protects farmers and families who are in danger due to nearby instability. She's recording some fantastic reflections on living in intentional community on her new blog. You should definintely check it out.
Today's bloggers for the 40 Day Fast are Licia, who works at and writes about the Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center, and Chris, whose topic is microfinance loans through Kiva.org.
Today's 40 Day Fast bloggers are Lorijo, who writes about a peace group in Peru, and Fay, whose post is on Charity: Water.
Peter Wehner, a conservative evangelical and former Bush administration official, writes a beautifully-reasoned explanation as to how James Dobson's attacks on Barack Obama were unfair and based in dishonest interpretations of his statements.
We should start doing this when American (inevitably) cancels flights at DFW. If it worked in an authoritarian, Communist state, it outta work here in the liberty-rich U.S. of A. Of course, your name would probably be on a no-fly list forever...
Oh, Bruce Ware. Blaming non-submissive women for spousal abuse is probably not the best way to get more people into the Southern Baptist fold. Just a suggestion.
Today's bloggers for the 40 Day Fast are Hip Mama, who's writing about Blessings in a Backpack, and Kelly, who writes about Children's HopeChest.
From our friends at Heal Africa, there's news that tonight's episode of Nightline will feature the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the information-gathering that actor Ben Affleck has been doing there. A good bit of filming happened at Heal Africa Hospital, where I've spent a lot of time during research for my dissertation, and there will be a feature on Marta, above, one of the survivors at the hospital. Marta was raped and burned by members of one of the many militias operating in the region.
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." - version of the Second Amendment passed by Congress that is on the Bill of Rights in the National Archives
Beginning at 9 central, the Supreme Court will release its final decisions of the term, including, we expect, a decision in D.C. v. Heller, the first case in which the court will make a ruling on gun ownership rights since the 1930's. SCOTUSblog and many other court watchers think that Justice Scalia probably wrote the majority opinion, which would mean the court has found that an individual right to gun ownership exists.
Today's bloggers for the 40 Day Fast are Annie, who writes about an arts-based program that helps poor children in South Africa, and P.D., whose subject is access to water. Be sure to check out their writings!
McSweeney's does Lit 101 in three lines or less. My favorite has to be Moby Dick.
Professor Deutsch wrote a beautiful exposition on the meaning and implications of today's daily inspiration for the 40 Day Fast.
"Like all Americans, Dr. Dobson has every right to advocate public policy informed by his abiding Christian faith. I will be counting on him to continue to do so, but he will improve his chances of success by not pretending to lack the most basic understanding of democracy, which we all know he has, or by misreading and mischaracterizing the views of one of the country's most eloquent defenders of the importance of faith—maybe since George Washington opined that it was indispensable to the prosperity of the nation." - Professor Doug Kmiec
Dear Texas in Africa,
Brian Seay (the answer to that FAQ is no) is today's blogger for the 40 Day Fast. Check out his excellent words on the global food crisis and ways to help individual children through Compassion.
From jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com, a group led by Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell (who officiated Jenna Bush's wedding last month in Crawford and who has endorsed Obama):
Update on the Chet Edwards story: he hasn't been contacted by Obama's VP team as of yet.
Of all the objectionable things the Bush Adminstration has done (and there are many), one of the things that disturbs me most is their attempt to politicize our judicial system. A new, internal report, out today, confirms what has been obvious for quite some time: that the Justice Department under the Bush administration has been using political factors in its hiring decisions. That's not only reprehensible; it's also illegal.
Chet Edwards for veep? That's not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all.
Although I have never really understood why it is that anyone would rely upon a child psychologist for advice about for whom to vote, it seems that Dr. James Dobson has once again weighed in on this year's presidential race, and, not suprisingly, he doesn't like Obama. (That's not to say that he likes McCain's, either. He apparently doesn't.)
Today's bloggers for the 40 Day Fast are Amy, who's writing about literacy, and April, whose focus is on the Mocha Club. Check out their posts!
Today is the beginning of the 40 Day Fast that we're hosting over at Inspired to Action. Brant Hansen is the first poster, and you won't want to miss his beautiful words about a Compassion project in Nairobi's Kibera slum.
For my intro American government class, I've developed a series of ways for students to do a term paper that is usually a little more interesting than a traditional, library-based research project. In election years, I have the students do a mock debate. Some ask questions, others answer. The students seem to like it, and it gets them engaged in understanding current political issues, which is one of my main goals for the course. It also meets a goal of involving students of diverse educational interests in experiential learning while requiring them to synthesize information in a creative way.
A refugee camp is not a place you want to be.
"'With the exception of the cross-burning episode … I believe John Freshwater is teaching the values of the parents in the Mount Vernon school district.'''
Having a T.A. = Totally Awesome.
The best part is I only actually asked him to give the exam. I do not have any plans to abuse my T.A.'s friendliness and willingness to help, but, wow, this is great. Here's where I begin to rethink my plan to teach at liberal arts colleges forever.In other news, job postings are starting to come out. McMurry is hiring. Yippee.
When you give money to a political campaign, the Federal Election Commission collects data on your donation that becomes a matter of public record. Part of that data includes your occupation, which is self-described. Here's an awesome list of which parties people in different occupations have been giving to in this election cycle. In what I'm sure is a shocking shift in group support for a candidate, it appears that Ron Paul has finally managed to corner the support of the wizard demographic.
And it's creepy.
I just got an invitation that, well, has to be read to be believed:
It's time for the 40 Day Fast!
The Librarian and I went to see tonight's double feature at the Paramount: Dirty Dancing AND Flashdance. It was, as you can imagine, totally awesome. (Also, Flashdance is among the worst movies I've ever seen on the big screen.)
I just threw up in my mouth a little:
A.J.'s coming back! Probably.
I am definitely not smart enough to be a German, although guessing got me the requisite 4 of 7 correct.
I wish I could say that I was familiar with Kenyan/American band Extra Golden prior to hearing them on NPR back in January when there was so much trouble in Kenya. But I wasn't.
Ethics Daily today runs an excellent blog post by Emily Hunter McGowan that I've been meaning to post on for a few days now. It's about the role of women in ministry, and, to put it bluntly, the fact that we don't have time for cop-outs.
Well, thanks to Steve the Lawyer's hard work (and his team's, whatever), the new Kosovo constitution went into effect at midnight on Sunday morning. Now the government controls the territory, with a "supervisory role" being played by the EU. (Steve assures me, however, that the UNMIK stamps in my passport are not a relic, but that capabilities such as airport customs enforcement will be phased in as capacity is built. Such a diplomatic way of putting it.)
Ann describes the events of last night better than I can. And for the record, the wings under the arms on my muu-muu were not the only reason to never be seen in that in public again.
Happy Father's Day to my daddy! My dad is the coolest, and is a great husband and father. He retired this year from being editor-in-chief of a publication that had a huge circulation. At his retirement party, I got to give a speech about all the ways he's made a difference in our lives. As my sister pointed out later, we never had to worry that our dad would work late or not be there for us - he was always home for dinner at 6, and he never missed anything significant in our lives growing up. He has never - not once - said that I couldn't do something if I put my mind to it, but he also gives wise advice and encourages us to make the best decisions. He loves us unconditionally, and we are so lucky to have him as our father.
Question: What did Texas in Africa do on this lovely, humid evening in scenic Austin, Texas?
Oh, camp nostalgia. And now someone's written a book about it. It may be a cliche, but I don't care. Spending two weeks of each summer sleeping in a cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina was one of the great blessings and privileges of my life. To this day, eleven years after I last spent a summer at camp, some of my greaest friends are camp friends. A ridiculous number of my friends on Facebook are camp people, including the girls who were my campers the summer I was their counselor. They were seven and eight then. This summer, several of these cute little girls are counselors themselves. Gulp.
You have to love life in Austin, Texas. I'm pretty sure we're the only place in the world that hosts a massive biker rally and a gay pride festival (with a fire truck in the parade) on the same 103-degree heat index weekend. Not to mention the Juneteenthers and the rest of us who are just living life and trying to avoid the traffic snarls...
...who wrote this on my spring evaluations. It will be on page 1 of my teaching portfolio for the job market this fall:
NBC political analyst Tim Russert is dead at age 58.
The Officemate (who is technically now the former officemate) is defending her dissertation as we type. I know she would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
We just received our summer departmental directory, which has everyone's phone number, email, and office hours, as well as general university contact numbers for the problems you may face.
So this morning I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts on the way to work and remembered that I keep meaning to share it with all of you. I can't remember where, but somewhere I read about In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg, a production of the BBC's Radio Four, and subscribed to the free podcast on iTunes. And proceeded to only listen to one or two of them for six months.
Referring to Michelle Obama as Barack's "baby mama" is a big much, don't you think?
"The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times," Justice Anthony Kennedy, in today's ruling that terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay have rights to challenge their detentions in American courts rather than in the ridiculous Combatant Status Review Tribunals that gave defendants no defense lawyers, no access to the evidence against them, and no information about the witnesses against them.
The SBC Executive Committee has rejected endorsing the creation of a sex offender database for SBC churches. The reason for their decision is based partly on practical issues (it would be really hard to do) and largely on the autonomy of the local church.
I'm going to consider this a challenge.
An Obama-Clark ticket? That would win him the Kosovar/Albanian-American vote, for sure.
So I've mentioned before that the Kirk Cameron witnessing show is just about my favorite out-of-touch Christian thing ever. This clip, posted on the Daily Dish today, is a classic case. Notice how they completely fail to consider what the creational genius of the banana tells us about the relationship between man and apes:
Dr. Jimmy Draper made some rather stunning comments yesterday to the pastors' conference that preceeds the SBC . Ethics Daily reports on it here, including this:
Student 1, in class today: "Well, it [the Top 10% law] was a good idea..."
As you may have guessed, I have a close, personal relationship with the people at ILS in our lovely, Texas-shaped library. I order obscure books to be shipped in from other places like nobody's business, because, well, when the Library of Congress can't get you access to the books you need, ILS is the last best chance you've got. (Cases in point: Friday I sent one back to the Fleming Library at Southwestern Seminary. Today I picked one up from Brigham Young.) I take the five-minute walk to the library at least twice a week, so much so that the guards know that my books, being non-UT books, are going to set the security alarms off.
Of all the things for which I am thankful to Jesus (and believe me, there are many), one of them is that, since I chose to no longer be a Southern Baptist, I don't have to worry about what they're going to do to embarass me every June anymore.
Who's really being hurt by high gas prices.
Somebody set the Texas Governor's mansion on fire early this morning. Thankfully, no one was injured as it's under renovation while Governor Goodhair lives in a pricey rental that technically isn't even in Austin (which is unconstitutional, but apparently just a detail).
Five years ago, my phone rang. I was driving down I-40, just getting into Memphis, when Allison gave me the news.
Second best TPIR contestant ever:
I finally have access to my course management website.
Many of you prayed for my friend A's father a few months back when he was placed under house arrest by Pakistan's dictator for his support of democratic practices and the rule of law. I thought you should know that he's no longer under house arrest, and that he was profiled in the New York Times Magazine this past weekend. Take a look to see what the government of the United States is, at least in part, against: democracy in Pakistan.
The Attorney sends along this little, uh, nugget of, um ... purity. Which is for real.
Anybody out there read Swedish and/or Norwegian? I've got a tiny dissertation issue with which I need some translation help. Anybody? Please?
Robert Mugabe's police just unleashed a world of pain on their government. Detaining American and British diplomats (and slashing the tires of their cars) is never a good idea.
It's the first day of summer school.
Hillary will finally - FINALLY - give up and endorse Obama this weekend.
So the whole abstinence-based sex ed thing isn't working so well...
At least he's not a Singing Senator.
Being as the last four weeks have been what passes for "vacation" here in the world of Texas in Africa (meaning that we stay up until all hours, sleep 'til 11, and stumble into the office for a few hours of remarkably productive dissertation work before leaving for the gym at 5. Or, you know, go to DC for a week to sit in the Library of Congress all day.), I've actually gotten to read some books FOR FUN of late. Here are my (mercifully brief) thoughts on each:
Well, how's that for variety? Blood diamonds, nuclear terrorism, espionage, and a Botswanan detective novel. Next up is an autobiography of legendary Texas politician Ben Barnes, a copy of which the Librarian was sweet enough to pick up for me at the Texas Library Association meeting in April. I love vacation. You read your beach books and I'll read mine.
The AP says that Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination for the presidency.
Former president (and thus far uncommitted superdelegate) Jimmy Carter will endorse Obama tonight after the polls close in Montana and South Dakota. It's over, even if Hillary Clinton's campaign doesn't want to admit it. Obama already has seven supers who've committed to him today, including five from Michigan (who, granted, only count as half delegates given the compromise worked out over the weekend).
Well, in typically tacky Clintonian fashion, the AP reports that Hillary Clinton will concede "the delegate race" to Obama tonight. He's almost certainly going to cross the threshold of pledged delegates and superdelegates today, so there's not much she can do. But her people are making a point to say that she will continue her campaign (even if they're firing most of the staff) and that she is not conceding the nomination.
I went to an opera yesterday.
My dad is in Cape Town, South Africa. He visited this refugee camp last week. It's a brand new camp that formed as a result of this violence.
Over the weekend, I got a save-the-date for the wedding of one of my closest friends from New Haven. We were some of the only women doing international security stuff, which meant we bonded for life over the fact that the boys wouldn't take us seriously until we proved we knew our stuff about weapons systems. She's still fighting the boys over national security matters, while I'm safely ensconsed in the world of academia, but she is one of my only friends with whom I can seriously discuss both theories of state collapse, responses to terrorist attacks on a major port, and serious fashion dilemmas, like what to wear when an invitation says "evening casual."
Have the Clintons realized the reality of it all?


text:
Hey, I got a problem.
I am to write a program that takes 4 different commands and performs different actions for each individual command. The problem is that the commands are not of the same format.
Here is what the commands take.
command 1: char d, int, int.
command 2: char a, int.
command 3: char s.
command 4: char e.
Its all read in one line. I cant type 'd', hit enter and then prompt for 2 integers.
What is a smart solution?
I was thinking about reading it all in as a string, but then im not sure how to let the program know to look for an integer (integer could be 1 to 10000).
Any thoughts would be appreciated


text:
We receive applications from across the world; this guarantees that one of the central values of the Ph.D. Program in Urban Education is met—diversity. We believe that social and cultural difference is a necessary cornerstone for strong democratic societies and robust intellectual communities.
Prospective students should visit the Admissions website for program requirements, application instructions, and deadlines.
Espinet, I. (in press) Changing Hats: From Practitioners to Practitioner-Researchers in Fisherkeller (ed.) International Perspectives in Youth Media: Cultures of Production & Education. NY: Peter Lang Publishers, Inc.
Futch, V., & Jaffe-Walter, R. (in press). "Everybody has an accent here": Cultivating small schools that work for English language learners in New York City. In W. Pink (Ed.), Schools and Marginalized Youth: An International Perspective. Cresskill: Hampton Press.
Jaffe-Walter, R. & Lee, S. (in press). "To trust in my root and to take that to go forward": Supporting college access for immigrant youth in the global city". Anthropology and Education Quarterly.
Rubel, L., Chu, H., & Shookhoff, L. (in press). Learning to map and mapping to learn our students' worlds. Mathematics Teacher.
Flores, N., & Chu, H. (2011). How does size matter? The impact of the rise of small high schools on Latino emergent bilinguals in New York City. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 14(2), 157-172.
García, O., Flores, N., & Chu, H. (2011). Extending bilingualism in U.S. secondary education: New variations. International Multilingual Research Journal, 5(1), 1-18.
Chu, H. (2010). The Colombian Population of New York City, 1990-2008. New York: Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies.
Chu, H., & Rubel, L. H. (2010). Learning to teach mathematics in urban high schools: Untangling the threads of interwoven narratives. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education, 3(2), 57-76.
Fusco, D. & Espinet, I. (2010). Shared Research Dialogue: One College's Model for Professional Development ofYouth Practitioners Afterschool Matters, 10.
Stafne, M.(2010) "Integrating service and experience: When education meets admissions" in Journal of Museum Education, Vol. 35, N3.
Espinet, I. (2008) Book Review: Robert Halpern's Critical Issues in After-School Programming. Afterschool Matters, 8.
Jaffe-Walter, R. (2008) Negotiating Mandates and memories: Inside a small schools network for immigrant youth. Teachers College Record, 110 (9).


text:
I set him aside in favour of other pursuits, like horses and boyfriends and pond hockey. I finished high school, painted, tried to figure out my path in life, got married, had children.
When I took my kids to see Shrek at the theatre, one song made my throat tighten. It was Halleluja. I hummed it for weeks afterwards. Leonard had crept back into my life. When I look back at the songs that struck a chord, I discovered many that were written by Cohen.
A few weeks before Christmas, the good people at Indigo asked on Twitter for our favourite Cohen lines. I picked one from "Suzanne." Two days later, they informed me I had won tickets to see Leonard at the Air Canada Centre.
Thrilled, I arranged for my sister to go with me. We expected fair seats, but were surprised and delighted to get centre floor seats only 19 rows from the front. As the lights went down, I sat with my mouth open, my eyes afraid to blink. I didn't want to miss a second. I had forgotten my camera (stupid me) so all I had was the camera in my phone. These look far away, but it was actually closer than it appears.
When he strode onto the stage, he wore a fedora and a black suit, so dapper and slick. The band was pretty slick, too. Tight as all get out. The atmosphere, despite 15,000 polite fans, was intimate.
His voice was deep - deeper than I could ever imagine, yet he held a variety of notes within such a low register. He hid his gaze behind the brim of his hat, often cupping a hand beside his cheek as if to caress us, or to wave his words across the crowd.
He knelt before us and rose with little difficulty. When his band mates performed their solos, he held his hat over his heart and bowed toward them, showing his respect for their talent.
Song after song washed over us - so many I knew, but hadn't realized they were written by Cohen. He spoke poetry, he joked, he skipped.
Couples waltzed in the aisles.
It was over too soon. After three encores, we flowed outside along with four generations of wonderful fans. I want to thank the folks at @indigogreenroom for the fantastic opportunity to see a legend in person. And thank you, Mr. Cohen, for your inspiration, class and dignity. I'll remember this forever.


text:
There is a psychology to survival. The survivor in a survival environment faces many stresses that ultimately impact on his mind. These stresses can produce thoughts and emotions that, if poorly understood, can transform a confident, well-trained survivor into an indecisive, ineffective individual with questionable ability to survive. Thus, every survivor must be aware of and be able to recognize those stresses commonly associated with survival. Additionally, it is imperative that survivors be aware of their reactions to the wide variety of stresses associated with survival. This chapter will identify and explain the nature of stress, the stresses of survival, and those internal reactions survivors will naturally experience when faced with the stresses of a real-world survival situation. The knowledge you, the survivor, gain from this chapter and other chapters in this manual, will prepare you to come through the toughest times alive.
A Look at Stress
Before we can understand our psychological reactions in a survival setting, it is helpful to first know a little bit about stress.
Stress is not a disease that you cure and eliminate. Instead, it is a condition we all experience. Stress can be described as our reaction to pressure. It is the name given to the experience we have as we physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually respond to life's tensions.
Need for Stress
We need stress because it has many positive benefits. Stress provides us with challenges; it gives us chances to learn about our values and strengths. Stress can show our ability to handle pressure without breaking; it tests our adaptability and flexibility; it can stimulate us to do our best. Because we usually do not consider unimportant events stressful, stress can also be an excellent indicator of the significance we attach to an event--in other words, it highlights what is important to us.
We need to have some stress in our lives, but too much of anything can be bad. The goal is to have stress, but not an excess of it. Too much stress can take its toll on people and organizations. Too much stress leads to distress. Distress causes an uncomfortable tension that we try to escape and, preferably, avoid. Listed below are a few of the common signs of distress you may find in your fellow survivors or yourself when faced with too much stress:
• Difficulty making decisions.
• Angry outbursts.
• Forgetfulness.
• Low energy level.
• Constant worrying.
• Propensity for mistakes.
• Thoughts about death or suicide.
• Trouble getting along with others.
• Withdrawing from others.
• Hiding from responsibilities.
• Carelessness.
As you can see, stress can be constructive or destructive. It can encourage or discourage, move us along or stop us dead in our tracks, and make life meaningful or seemingly meaningless. Stress can inspire you to operate successfully and perform at your maximum efficiency in a survival situation. It can also cause you to panic and forget all your training. Key to your survival is your ability to manage the inevitable stresses you will encounter. The survivor is the survivor who works with his stresses instead of letting his stresses work on him.
Survival Stressors
Any event can lead to stress and, as everyone has experienced, events don't always come one at a time. Often, stressful events occur simultaneously. These events are not stress, but they produce it and are called "stressors." Stressors are the obvious cause while stress is the response. Once the body recognizes the presence of a stressor, it then begins to act to protect itself.
In response to a stressor, the body prepares either to "fight or flee." This preparation involves an internal SOS sent throughout the body. As the body responds to this SOS, several actions take place. The body releases stored fuels (sugar and fats) to provide quick energy; breathing rate increases to supply more oxygen to the blood; muscle tension increases to prepare for action; blood clotting mechanisms are activated to reduce bleeding from cuts; senses become more acute (hearing becomes more sensitive, eyes become big, smell becomes sharper) so that you are more aware of your surrounding and heart rate and blood pressure rise to provide more blood to the muscles. This protective posture lets a person cope with potential dangers; however, a person cannot maintain such a level of alertness indefinitely.
Stressors are not courteous; one stressor does not leave because another one arrives. Stressors add up. The cumulative effect of minor stressors can be a major distress if they all happen too close together. As the body's resistance to stress wears down and the sources of stress continue (or increase), eventually a state of exhaustion arrives. At this point, the ability to resist stress or use it in a positive way gives out and signs of distress appear. Anticipating stressors and developing strategies to cope with them are two ingredients in the effective management of stress. It is therefore essential that the survivor in a survival setting be aware of the types of stressors he will encounter. Let's take a look at a few of these.
Injury, Illness, or Death
Injury, illness, and death are real possibilities a survivor has to face. Perhaps nothing is more stressful than being alone in an unfamiliar environment where you could die from hostile action, an accident, or from eating something lethal. Illness and injury can also add to stress by limiting your ability to maneuver, get food and drink, find shelter, and defend yourself. Even if illness and injury don't lead to death, they add to stress through the pain and discomfort they generate. It is only by con-trolling the stress associated with the vulnerability to injury, illness, and death that a survivor can have the courage to take the risks associated with survival tasks.
Uncertainly and Lack of Control
Some people have trouble operating in settings where everything is not clear-cut. The only guarantee in a survival situation is that nothing is guaranteed. It can be extremely stressful operating on limited information in a setting where you have limited control of your surroundings. This uncertainty and lack of control also add to the stress of being ill, injured, or killed.
Even under the most ideal circumstances, nature is quite formidable. In survival, a survivor will have to contend with the stressors of weather, terrain, and the variety of creatures inhabiting an area. Heat, cold, rain, winds, mountains, swamps, deserts, insects, dangerous reptiles, and other animals are just a few of the challenges awaiting the survivor working to survive. Depending on how a survivor handles the stress of his environment, his surroundings can be either a source of food and protection or can be a cause of extreme discomfort leading to injury, illness, or death.
Hunger and Thirst
Without food and water a person will weaken and eventually die. Thus, getting and preserving food and water takes on increasing importance as the length of time in a survival setting increases. For a survivor used to having his provisions issued, foraging can be a big source of stress.
Forcing yourself to continue surviving is not easy as you grow more tired. It is possible to become so fatigued that the act of just staying awake is stressful in itself.
There are some advantages to facing adversity with others. As survivors we learn individual skills, but we train to function as part of a team. Although we, as survivors, complain about higher headquarters, we become used to the information and guidance it provides, especially during times of confusion. Being in contact with others also provides a greater sense of security and a feeling someone is available to help if problems occur. A significant stressor in survival situations is that often a person or team has to rely solely on its own resources.
The survival stressors mentioned in this section are by no means the only ones you may face. Remember, what is stressful to one person may not be stressful to another. Your experiences, training, personal outlook on life, physical and mental conditioning, and level of self-confidence contribute to what you will find stressful in a survival environment. The object is not to avoid stress, but rather to manage the stressors of survival and make them work for you.
We now have a general knowledge of stress and the stressors common to survival; the next step is to examine our reactions to the stressors we may face. In this post "Survival Mindset: Prepare to Survive Mentally" we go over how you can prepare yourself to deal with these stressors.